title: Facial electromyography and emotional reactions.
abstract: The aim of this paper is to review data from my laboratory, which were collected in an attempt to determine whether the facial EMG response is a general component of the emotional reaction. In a number of studies it was found that facial reactions: first, are spontaneously elicited and differ according to the kind of emotional stimuli to which subjects are exposed; second, are sensitive to learning; third, are consistent with how the subjects perceive the stimuli and their own specific emotions; fourth, are congruent with autonomic responses; fifth, are more pronounced for females than for males; and finally, differ among subjects with specific fears. These data converge to indicate that facial muscle activity is a general component of the emotional reaction and demonstrate that the facial EMG technique is a sensitive tool for measuring emotional reactions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Dimberg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology*; D004576:Electromyography; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005149:Facial Expression; D005152:Facial Muscles / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011603:Psychophysiology